Daniel Morcombe sentence: Dean Morcombe's victim impact statement

Dean Morcombe

Brett Cowan, what you did on December 7, 2003, has impacted hundreds of people.

Daniel was my brother and you have robbed him of a life he would have loved to have lived, robbed Bradley of a twin and lifelong best friend, robbed my parents of a son they loved, robbed us of being a normal family ever again.

When Daniel didn’t come home on the 7th all those years ago, right from the start we knew this was out of character.

I had only started working full time the previous week. While working on Monday the 8th, a news report came over the radio that Daniel was missing and I broke down knowing something was not right.

That afternoon, having to give a police statement and the following weeks having police at home every day was starting to sink in the severity of what might be.

December 19 would have been Daniel’s 14th birthday.

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Watching how crushed my family was that he had not returned was heartbreaking.

The emotion on everybody’s faces, especially Bradley’s, trying to celebrate what should have been an enjoyable day, will stay with me forever.

Then Christmas a week later.

What should have been another enjoyable day was nothing short of painful. Nothing in my life would ever be the same again.

The years that followed, seeing my grandparents emotionally go downhill because Daniel was still not found, seeing the anger and pain impacting my parents, putting immeasurable pressure on their marriage.

The not knowing if he was alive and keeping me hopes up to see him again, or if he was dead and try to move on.

Not finding a body for all those years definitely took its toll on me.

But even when he was found, heading to the police station to put on a full forensic suit, shoe covers, gloves, masks, to walk to where you left Daniel is an unbearable thing to do.

Hearing how you just wanted to suck Daniel's penis, make him suck yours and take him is sickening, but your complete lack of remorse for killing him is worse.

Simply throwing him off an embankment, dragging him along the ground, leaving him unburied, naked and then going back to chop up his skull with a shovel - these are the acts of a psychopath who cannot be rehabilitated.

I’m glad you have been exposed for the murdering, sexual predator that you are. Rest in peace, Daniel.